Honda City Celebrates 25 Years In India: A Look Through The Generations

• Honda City is currently in its fifth generation in India. 

• Fourth-gen City still exists but will be discontinued by 2022-end. 

• Over 9 lakh units have been sold in India and overseas in 25 years. 

• Earlier this year, the City e:HEV was launched as the first strong hybrid car in India. 

Honda is celebrating 25 years of the City sedan’s existence in India across its dealerships in the country. According to the carmaker, ours is the largest market for the sedan, accounting for over 28 per cent of the sedan's sales in the Asia-Oceania region. 

Over the years, Honda has sold over 9 lakh units of the City in India and export markets. The sedan is now in its fifth generation and is still going strong despite the emergence of the mammoth compact SUV segment. 

1998: First Honda City in India 

The first-gen Honda City sedan that was launched in India in 1998 was, in fact, the third avatar of the hatchback that originated in Japan in 1981. It was the first time the City had adopted a sedan body style, with a platform that was based on the Honda Civic’s underpinnings of that era. 

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Facelifted first-gen City

Still regarded as the holy grail of the City by enthusiasts, the first-gen model gave Indian motorists their first taste of VTEC power with a 16-valve (four-cylinder) engine that produced 106PS. 

2003: Dolphin City breaks cover 

The City adopted a completely new aesthetic with aerodynamic styling in its second generation. Initially, it was offered with an 88PS i-DSI petrol engine that was less powerful than the VTEC unit. Later on, the VTEC engine made a comeback in the facelifted third-gen City ZX. 

Facelifted City ZX

This generation of the sedan is remembered for its introduction of comfort features to the compact sedan segment. It pioneered the CVT automatic transmission in India and offered equipment such as ABS and a rear armrest long before they became commonplace in the segment or in lower-priced vehicles. 

2008: Arrow-shot design comes to the City 

By this time, Honda had realised that power was as important to Indian customers as fuel economy. The third-gen City debuted Honda’s 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine in the country with a strong 120PS output, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and CVT option. The third-gen City also offered safety features such as dual front airbags and ABS on all its variants. It was the first City sedan to offer a sunroof.  

2014: The City as we know it 

The fourth-generation City is probably the longest-living iteration of the sedan since it still exists today. The previous (third) gen model had locked in some attributes of the City, such as the 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine, five-speed manual transmission and CVT automatic that continued to power the fourth-gen City. 

It got a more radically styled interior with a premium piano black finish on the dashboard and touch controls for the HVAC. It also debuted the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that offered better fuel economy than the petrol unit. The fourth-gen City will be discontinued at the end of 2022. 

• Honda Jazz, WR-V, And Fourth-Gen City Likely To Be Discontinued From This Year

2020: New platform, same engine 

The fifth-generation City debuted in Thailand with a 1-litre turbo petrol engine, but that motor didn’t make its way to India. The new City, now longer and more spacious than ever before, offers an updated 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and a new 6-speed manual or CVT transmission compared to its predecessor. 

But this year, Honda brought in the new City e:HEV strong hybrid that does bring something new to the table in typical City fashion. Not only is it the only strong-hybrid offering in its segment, but it also gets new driver assistance and active safety features (ADAS) such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and forward collision prevention. 

The City hybrid’s drivetrain gets a relatively small bump in power with a 126PS combined output, but with 127Nm torque from the engine and 253Nm from the e-motor, it surely offers better driveability.

Also read: 

• New Honda SUV To Arrive In India Before October 2023, Currently In Final Stages Of Development

• Honda City Hybrid Commands Up To 10-month Waiting Period, Honda Plans To Launch More Hybrids

Despite the availability of lower-priced models in the lineup, the Honda City has long been the carmaker’s bestselling model in India. With the new strong-hybrid drivetrain and continuously improving features list, we sure hope that the City keeps going strong for years to come.